“Your wife Mira.”

“She was Raven’s goddaughter?”

“She never told you?”

I turn to look at Odawa. He’s already backing off the porch, but he’s making his escape too late. Before he can step away into the otherworld, or even change shape, a tall black man appears from further down the porch and grabs his arm with a big meaty hand. I don’t know the newcomer by name but he has the scent of a rook about him. Odawa tries to pull free of his grip, but the rook’s as unmovable as a stone cliff.

“Don’t even think of changing shape, Odawajameg,” he says.

I can see Odawa deflate at the use of his full true name, obviously having been planning to do just that. But I can barely concentrate on Odawa’s problems. I’m still trying to get around Mira’s connection to Lucius Portsmouth. She’d been Raven’s goddaughter? The Raven who’d brought the world into being?

“How could you not have known?” Chloe says.

“I . . . it just wasn’t something we ever spoke of,” I tell her. “I knew her parents were dead, but she never wanted to talk about her past. I had to respect that. I assumed she’d tell me when the time was right, but we never got that time.”

Chloe nods. “She and Lucius certainly had their differences. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that she never mentioned him.”

I look to where the rook’s still holding Odawa. I feel no guilt at having led him into this.

“What’s going to happen to him?” I ask.

“There will be a trial, I suppose. Considering the clan affiliations, we’ll have to call up some of both the water and air cousins to arbitrate. Brandon will keep him safely until then.”

I nod. “But I don’t understand. Why would Raven wait until now to deal with this? Mira’s been dead for years.”

“The fish man’s never been stupid enough to actually come knocking on Lucius’s door before. You know how it is. Lucius is the last one to create a problem between the clans over a personal matter. But he can’t ignore this.”

Not to mention that Raven has been withdrawn from the world for most of the long years since Mira had died, but it would be impolitic to actually come out and say it.

“Maybe Odawa’s here because he didn’t know,” I say.

Chloe looks at him, then shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. Mira’s still dead. Why are you finding excuses for him?”

“I’m not. It’s just—”